Chapter Text
In retrospect, he should have seen this coming from the very moment the word ‘friend’ had escaped Toujou’s mouth. Because, if not Hatano, who else could it have been?
It was never too late to salvage the situation he justified - they still hadn’t made eye contact after all. Would it be too far-fetched to pretend that he hadn’t noticed the younger man’s palpable presence?
Casually gathering his phone out of his pocket, Mob kept his eyes trained to the screen as he ever-so-slowly began to rise from his position. Now, Mob wouldn’t say he was an expert per se, but from the plethora - albeit completely uninvited - of experiences he did have, he was pretty sure it would be in his best interest to get the heck out of Hatano’s range of vision as soon as humanly possible.
It was child’s play blending in with the rest of the crowd and progressively sauntering his way towards the food stalls. The sugary sweet aroma of candied apples and pastries enticed his senses, beckoning him to pace leisurely forward, contemplating over his choices for the night.
Éclairs sounded good. But so did the strawberry parfaits sitting neatly upon the counter. And so did the castella, taiyaki, tiramisu —
Oh.
Well that certainly was big.
Lo and behold, a small stall tucked quietly from traction - he certainly had almost overlooked it himself - displayed towering corndogs. Swiftly coming to a decision, the purple-haired man made his way to join the queue and waited for his turn to reach the front.
Wringing his hands together, he allowed a gentle smile to overtake his features. Maybe the universe did have a lick of mercy for him after everything.
When was the last time he had a corndog? A year ago? Two? However long ago it was, it didn’t matter. What mattered was that he could finally, finally treat himself to a meal without Ayato somehow draining the soul out of his wallet.
Pressing his hands together in a silent prayer, Mob thanked the guardian deity watching over him.
It didn’t take long for him to reach the front of the counter, extremely eager to place his order.
“What would you like to buy, sir?” A red-haired employee chirped, clasping her hands together with an exaggerated enthusiasm. There was just something about the thrilled glint in her eye that was disconcerting to a degree, eyeing him with a ravenous hunger, which was absolutely unwarranted for.
To think he had just managed to escape one red flag to just fall into a possibly emerging one minutes later. Looked like he’d have to make this a quick dine and dash.
“I’ll have the corndog, please.”
She eagerly nodded, eyes shining impossibly bright as she looked to his side.
His side? Wait WHA-
“And for you, sir?”
Mob stiffly turned his head to the side with dreadful anticipation. The tell-tale signs of dark hair had his heart plummeting to his feet.
“I…I’ll have a corndog as well please,” the all-too-familiar voice spoke out, a rosy flush blooming under Mob’s disbelieving gaze.
“That’ll be 756 yen each! Are you two paying together?”
Absolutely not.
“N-”
“Yes.” Hatano paused briefly, before he turned towards Mob shyly, eyes downcast. “That is if you’ll allow me to, I’d like to pay for the both of us.”
If Mob had not been himself, he would have been relieved - touched even.
Too bad for Hatano that he was him.
Feigning an impossibly wide grin, he closed his eyes as he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. “Thank you for the offer but I’d feel terrible having to make my younger brother’s friend pay for me, Hatano-kun.”
“A-ah that is…,” Hatano trailed off, clutching the notes he had subconsciously at some point drawn out against his chest, despite himself.
Mob cracked one eye open to shoot him a shrewd glance. The milling browsers, that had once been standing a further distance from the stall, now drew closer. The queue was beginning to build up behind them.
As much as he appreciated Hatano’s offer, he could not allow himself to be swayed, to fall into the inescapable abyss that the universe so adamantly desired him to descend into. For if he fell, then that would mean he lost. All those years of research gone to waste - he spent good money on those manga too. Failure was simply not an option.
But still, he couldn’t help but feel guilty, watching Hatano visibly deflate as the rejection of his offer was processed, alongside the unspoken implications that came with it.
It definitely didn’t soothe his conscience once he caught sight of the cashier’s previously bright demeanour dull, faltering as she outstretched her arms to hand them their orders.
“Um sirs?” She called out. Her voice was significantly quieter now, almost hesitant to reach out. “Should I just create a separate tab?”
Mob gripped the leather strap of his satchel. Was fixing his bicycle all those years ago that sacred of a memory to the younger male? Still, as much as he wished to contemplate a much more tender approach allowing Hatano to dissolve his lingering sentiments, he just simply didn’t have enough time to do it now.
It was better this way.
Hopefully this wouldn’t affect Ayato’s subsequent friendship with him.
Yet, as Mob tugged out a couple yen from his wallet, his resolve wavered. He looked at his notes. And then glanced at Hatano. Man, did he really look like a kicked puppy.
Mob’s throat pulsed as a ludicrous idea took root in his mind.
His future self was totally going to hate himself for this.
Sure, it was Halloween - but he wasn’t a total monster. He guessed he could allow Hatano to indulge in his fantasies a little while longer. What was one night compared to almost a decade of tantalising yearning?
Quickly before he could change his mind, he reached for a couple more notes and passed them to the red-haired woman.
“No need,” he said, snapping his wallet shut. This seemed to spark her back to life as she keenly thrust the corn dogs into his free hand.
Mob blinked. She certainly was chipper. So this was the sense of foreboding he had been feeling from her - she must have assumed that Hatano and he were…
Anyway.
How long had Hatano been in the queue with him?
He turned towards Hatano, holding out a corn dog by the end of its stick as he offered it to him.
“Here you are, Hatano-kun,” he prompted. For all he could tell, it seemed as if Hatano had entered a trance, pupils dilated and eclipsing his dark purple irises.
Hatano gave a slight start as their fingertips brushed lightly together. Mob steadied it with the base of the stick, mindful of not dropping his own one.
“Ah thank you, and sorry about that,” Hatano apologised quickly. Swiftly getting over his daze, Hatano gripped the end more firmly, granting Mob the opportunity to let go.
Nodding his head towards the lady, Mob thanked her as he reached for a napkin.
“We should get going - Ayato and the others are inside the haunted mansion attraction. You should be able to find them there. I’ll show you the way.”
He bit into his corn dog as he manoeuvred out of the way for other customers to make their orders.The salty taste washed over his tongue, with just the perfect hint of sweetness. It was definitely worth buying them, BL flag or not. Besides, he had an unwavering faith in his ability to flee at a chance’s notice; but still, Mob couldn’t help but sigh as he contemplated how much of Hatano’s attention he must be currently harbouring. It was going to require a lot of dismantling to shatter this perfect, unfathomable illusion of himself that had been conjured up.
Realising that he had been met with silence, he shifted his frame as he searched for the boy, only to find the same employee from earlier animatedly chatting with Hatano, all the while surreptitiously glimpsing in Mob’s direction. How… intriguing.
“Where did you manage to snag a total cutie like that?” She gushed, leaning closer over the counter.
Mob blinked. Surely… surely she wasn’t referring to him was she?
Chewing innocuously, he turned a keen ear, awaiting further confirmation.
“I didn’t snag him,” Hatano corrected stoically, reaching for extra tissues lest Mob lost his own. An uncharacteristic heavy gust of wind swept past the stall as Hatano levelled her with a determined stare. “But I fully intend to.”
Mob blanched from where he was standing at the corner at the stall at the delighted squeals this declaration had generated from the girl.
“Oh?” She smirked, the weight behind the singular word sending shivers shooting down Mob’s spine. “And just how exactly do you plan doing that?” She pressed on, red eyes twinkling in pure, unfiltered glee.
They had to get out of here now. Hatano, on his own, had disturbed his harbinger-free daily life, but under the guidance of a fujoshi? Mob wasn’t so sure if he could anticipate what was to come, even with the experience he had. It was practically like an NPC trying to take down the final boss.
A semblance of urgency had Mob striding up the two and lightly tapping Hatano on the shoulder, breaking the flow of conversation.
Hatano’s eyes widened at the unexpected appearance, ducking his head as he tried to regain his composure.
Just as Mob opened his mouth to repeat his point about taking Hatano back to the others, he was beaten to it.
“Thank you for waiting for me, and for paying too,” Hatano smiled warmly at him.
Was it normal for pupils to be that dilated?
“No problem, I promised Ayato I would look out for you guys tonight after all.” He responded, feeling a certain incredulous stare tickle the back of his neck. Unrelenting, he refused to give the woman the scenery she so desperately wished for.
Hatano tilted his head to the side, gazing at Mob with a tender fondness. “You really are as kind as I remember.”
“Huh?”
His clever response went unanswered as Hatano swivelled round, sending the redhead a meaningful glance before saying, “Thank you for your assistance, it’s been very… insightful.”
Mob could only stare into red eyes in dreadful apprehension as he realised he had been too late in stopping the exchange of information.
“You’re very welcome. Feel free to come back whenever you want, I hope you get your desired results.” A grin slowly creeped up her face.
“Me too,” came a soft reply.
Ayato definitely had to compensate him for the turmoil brought against him tonight. Fate really did have it out for him.
The very memory of his brother reminded him of the purpose of his approaching Hatano.
Hastily bidding his farewell to the redhead and waiting until they were at a safe distance, Mob finally turned to Hatano, itching to prompt the other into leaving his side at the mere mention of reuniting him with his friends. He paused as he noticed the speck of string cheese that had made its way home on the younger’s nose as he fervently finished his corn dog. Entirely consumed, Hatano remained blissfully unaware.
“Hatano-kun.” He called gently, as he mulled over how to alert the other without embarrassing him.
Hatano looked up inquisitively, purple eyes holding a tinge of confusion.
“You’ve got a little…,” he trailed off, gesturing at his own nose, observing the initial twinges of confusion deepen across Hatano’s face.
“Ah, I’ll just get it.” He couldn't help but release a small huff of amusement as he stepped forward into the other’s personal space, grabbing one of the extra napkins Hatano had brought along and gently wiped his nose.
The immediate cherry-red blush that inflamed the entirety of Hatano’s face straight after could not have been healthy.
How curious it was, he mused absentmindedly, that a gratitude from many years ago could run this deep and develop into feelings of love. He almost envied whoever he was going to redirect Hatano’s affections onto in the near future.
“It happens to the best of us, you don’t need to think about it too much,” he reassured, the corners of his mouth uplifting ever so slightly, patting the top of Hatano’s head - in what he hoped was a comforting manner.
The attempt backfired tremendously as trickles of blood began to stream incessantly down Hatano’s nose. Mob jerked forth, hands outstretched as he attempted to steady him, eyes roaming at a sharp intensity before locating a quaint marble water fountain.
Lightly grasping Hatano’s wrist, they made their way towards it, at which point Mob had instructed Hatano to take a seat at the foot of the fountain.
“Take this and press it against your nose,” he ordered, wringing little droplets of water out of the material, as he handed it over in earnest. Hatano’s breath hitched, staring at Mob for a fraction too long before he gingerly accepted.
For what felt like an eternity, for Mob at the very least, the red hue of Hatano’s face subsided, as did the bleeding.
Hatano sighed as he looked up to meet Mob’s eyes, fever-bright purple meeting inscrutable black. Bringing a hand up to rub the bridge of his nose, he sighed again, shoulders drooping against the intricately designed frame of the basin.
“This- This isn’t going the way I pictured it,” Hatano admitted weakly, scrunching up his shoulders like it would shield him away from view.
“Of course it isn’t,” Mob acknowledged flatly. It wasn’t anything he had in mind for the night either; The sensation of being treated so reverently slightly cowed him, unused to being regarded as if he had personally hung the moon. “You’ve been stuck with boring old me after all, I doubt that could be any fun—”
“That’s not true at all,” Hatano interrupted sharply, eyes blazing at such a fierce intensity, scalding into Mob’s core. “You’re not any of those things.” He was levelled with a pointed stare.
Hatano paused to release a deep breath, averting his eyes as he mumbled out, “I just… wanted to make you more aware of me, be it by paying on your behalf or anything else.” He averted his eyes as he finished weakly, “But I failed.”
Mob felt his skin prickle. What happened to the promise of confessing in three years? Or perhaps this didn’t count as a confession in the younger male’s eyes.
“Hatano-kun, Ayato would skin me alive if he so much as suspects that I had an ulterior motive when I accepted to tag along. You don’t need to worry about buying me anything.” He raised a non-offending hand up.
“But you don’t,” Hatano argued back, unwilling to drop the subject. “I want to treat you well, not just because you’re my friend’s brother, but because you deserve to be.”
Mob shrugged as he looked away. “If you say so.” He retorted quietly.
There was no use in trying to argue against him. The boy was far too stubborn.
Eyeing the flashing lights from the stall practically dripping to the brim with plush toys, he decided to humour Hatano’s wants.
“If you really want to buy me something, then win me something from there.” He pointed lazily. The joy that spread across Hatano’s face was unrecognisable, the boy jumping up to his feet in an instant.
“But you only get one go. After this, no more talk about not buying me anything,” he finished curtly.
Hatano’s expression fell momentarily before a fiery determination filled his eyes, posture straightening as he delicately reached to cradle Mob’s hand in his.
“Of course,” he vowed solemnly.
Mob allowed himself to be led towards the brightly-lit store, Hatano running forward to exchange money for a small dart. Closing an eye, he planted his feet firmly into the ground, concentrating before releasing the dart. The dart hit the board with a cacophonous thud, target being met to a scary degree of precision.
Mob blinked and the next thing he knew, Hatano was stuffing the biggest plush toy the stall had to offer up in his face. A purple cat toy funnily enough.
Cradling the toy with both arms, Mob inspected the board. He could’ve sworn that these types of games were usually rigged.
Of course, there was no point dwelling on it; the laws of the BL universe always found a way to bypass everything and anything.
Red unfurled around the tips of Hatano’s ears, a satisfied smile paving its way upon his face.
“Let’s go, Mob-san.”
They were met with empty shells of the high schoolers at the gathering point, the ghastly pallor of their faces painting rather a poignant picture.
Misato, who looked like he was holding onto Yanagi for dear life, twitched alertly as Mob and Hatano made their presence known to the group.
“Misato-kun,” Hatano greeted cordially with a tap to the shoulder.
A deafening screech resounded across the vicinity, Misato’s knees giving way under him in fright. The panicked cry from Misato drew the rest of the high schoolers’ attention towards the duo that had just arrived.
“Um.” Hatano didn’t know how to respond to that particular display of terror.
“Don’t just appear out of nowhere like that,” Misato moaned, attempting to mask his blunder in response. The tremors of his shoulders certainly weren’t convincing.
“Sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologise to that idiot, Hatano-kun. He’s the type to scream at every little thing. Don’t mind him.” Toujou reassured, massaging his eardrums with a certain elegance.
The transfer student whirled round to glare at Toujou.
“Don’t pretend as if I didn’t see you use Yanagi-kun as a human shield back when that ghost jumped at us! You’re no better than me.”
“I did no such thing.” Toujou calmly stated as he looked directly into Misato’s eyes.
Ayato simply sighed.
Their antics were briefly brought to a pause as Yanagi exclaimed, “Mob-san, that’s such a massive toy! Where did you get it from?”
“Ah.” Mob glanced down at the purple plush tucked between his arms. It had been a source of attention as he had made his way back towards the group with Hatano, glances being shot in their direction from members of the crowd every so often. From the cooing from a particular group of college girls, it didn’t take much to extrapolate their thoughts.
“Hatano-kun won it for me, I doubt you’ll find the same model of it, but the stall is down in that direction if you want to browse.”
“Hatano-kun won it for you..?” Ayato sent a dubious look in Hatano’s direction.
“Yes.” Mob confirmed, barely sparing him a glance, too preoccupied with the prize in his arms.
Ayato eyed Hatano inquisitively before inching closer towards his brother, offering, “I can hold it for you if you want. Just let me know.”
Regarding Ayato languidly, Mob nodded in turn.
“If you insist, then I’ll let you carry it on the way back,” he teased lightly. “But for now, I think I’d like to continue holding it. You guys go have fun for another hour.”
Ayato hesitated, tilting his head towards Toujou, exchanging a glance of unknown meaning.
“Fine.” Ayato relented.
With that, the group, mostly Toujou and Misato, argued amongst themselves before settling upon their next destination.
Mob waved them away, admittedly a tad too enthusiastically, but he supposed it wasn’t too uncalled for. It wasn’t everyday he would agree to go on what was practically an impromptu date - with Hatano no less.
For the first time that night, Mob allowed himself to relax, feeling a mild throbbing form in his head, borderlining a headache, but not quite there yet.
What a night, he concluded, the mundane chattering of the bustling crowd lulling him into a false sense of security.
What a night indeed.